Industry waste is abundant, and it grows every year, as most industry filling equipment produces some waste. Minimizing waste with most industry filling equipment is a fantastic way to cut down on potential waste management costs, streamline efficiency, and improve overall workflow.

Industry filling equipment and machines, at times, produce much more waste than they actually should. It can be caused by many issues and can wind up costing quite a lot of money.

Below, we’re going to discuss industry filling equipment waste, how it occurs, why it occurs, and how we can reduce waste efficiently and cost-effectively.

Product Waste and System Loss

Industry filling equipment doesn’t waste useless materials — it wastes products. Products are expensive, and minimizing loss is going to improve cost-efficiency. And the main culprit behind product loss is industry filling equipment efficiency.

Over time, the gaskets, seals, and performance of such equipment degrade, thus directly causing some product waste. A good way to counteract this is through regular equipment maintenance.

If one of the machines on the line seems to be wasting more product than usual, that’s a good sign that it’s due for maintenance. Most machines require regular maintenance at preset service intervals, and exceeding them could significantly augment product losses.

Measuring manufacturing productivity is the main way to cut down on system losses. It’s measured through the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) standard, which reassesses the productive percentage of manufacturing.

Timely, superbly productive, and nonstop service would yield a 100% OEE rating, which ensures minimal system losses and overall waste of product. Depending on the type of industry filling equipment, the loss is going to vary in type, abundance, and overall waste management.

What Are Typical Industry Norms and How They Can Be Improved?

The filling equipment varies in purpose, but it’s most often used for food products. The equipment must be made out of 316 food-grade stainless steel, carry a 3A sanitary certification, or even better standards such as USDA approval.

Depending on the product, the certifications and requirements of the filling equipment are going to vary. At the same time, proper sanitation might have a significant impact in reducing possible waste, a far more important role in maintaining the filling equipment itself.

Filling equipment must be properly cleaned and maintained to maintain production standards. Improper maintenance and cleaning are going to ensure more waste, resulting in less cost-effective operation, and increased waste management costs.

If the filling machine deals with liquids, it must have adequate watertight protection. All the electronics and sensors are susceptible to corrosion and wear, so maintaining a watertight seal is essential for their maintenance. All industry filling equipment requires frequent cleaning with water and caustic chemicals, meaning that all electronics must be protected at all times.

While the industry norms are relatively good, going a step further is always advised.

You can ensure that everything is running smoothly by servicing your machines more frequently, measuring their performance, and following cleaning regulations. Maintenance is key when you’re trying to minimize product and system waste.

How Can Blending Help Reduce Waste

The world of industry filling has far surpassed large batching systems. By using state-of-the-art, continuous stream blending, you can rest assured you’re minimizing waste, saving money, and improving workflow efficiency.

Through the use of Continuous Stream Blending (CSB), you can eliminate large volume holding tanks and transfer time, and work with much smaller process system volumes. That allows for faster product compounding and product changeover — and quick switching between lower and larger volume products.

CSB utilizes automation, thus providing far more electronic control over the product formulation process. Through this technology, multi-layer verification becomes possible and allows for more precise statistical process control.

It allows for far more consistency, simplified system cleaning, and faster preparation/packaging. It also does wonders to reduce system loss, product waste, and component waste. Aside from standard liquid CSB, it’s applicable in all industries with filler equipment, such as:

  • Petroleum & Gasoline
  • Chemical & Pharmaceutical
  • Biotech & Genetech
  • Food & Drink
  • Paint & Pigment
  • Personal Care & Cosmetics

The utilization of CSB is essential to reducing costs, waste, and streamlining filling equipment efficiency and performance.

Final Thoughts

The waste that occurs in most industry filling equipment accounts for quite a lot of added costs. Waste management is not cheap, and improperly disposing of it is illegal. That’s why cutting down on waste as much as possible is essential. A fantastic way to do so is through the utilization of state-of-the-art CSB technology, proper maintenance, and improving upon existing regulation and industry norms.